The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season started slowly for Mumbai Indians batsman Rohit Sharma since the right-hander was having trouble scoring runs. But by getting back among the runs, the captain of India in both Test and One-Day International matches has been able to reverse the trend.
Rohit has amassed 293 runs in 10 games, including three half-centuries. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene gave an explanation of the Mumbai Indians' decision to employ Rohit Sharma as an impact substitute in the majority of this season's games prior to their clash against the Gujarat Titans.
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Rohit Sharma has not fielded for most of the opponents' batting innings during the IPL 2025 season. In the fielding innings, he has only come out with two or three overs before the seasoned veteran opens the franchise's batting.
Mahela Jayawardene stated at the pre-game press conference that the choice to employ Rohit Sharma as a "impact sub" was not made at the beginning of the season. It was decided to utilize India's Champions Trophy-winning captain as an impact substitute after he disclosed that he was suffering from a niggle.
“No, it wasn't at the start. Obviously, Rohit was on the field in some of the games. But if you look at the composition of the team, most of the guys are doing dual roles. Most of them are bowling. At the same time, some of the venues need boundary runners,” Jayawardene said at the pre-match press conference.
“You need guys with speed and all that. So that also comes into play. And Rohit was also nursing a niggle from the Champions Trophy. So we wanted to make sure that we don't push him too hard. And we have managed that while batting is the most important thing,” he added.
According to Jayawardene, Rohit's role as an impact substitute does not stop him from contributing from the dugout and participating in game-related conversations.
“He's contributed tremendously whether he's on the field or not. If you've seen, he's always browning the dugout or he goes in during timeouts. And there's a lot of communication happening. So actively involved,” said Jayawardene.
“But it's just overall planning for us to make sure that we have all the bowling options that we need on the field. And we have a lot of senior heads as well. Most likely to be taken out would be (either a Surya or a Tilak or someone like that, a domestic batter. So it's a hard choice for me. But it's a good headache to have,” he added.
With 14 points from 11 games, the Mumbai Indians are presently ranked third in the standings. They will top the standings if they defeat the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.
Three of the Mumbai Indians' last four games have seen Rohit Sharma register half-centuries. The Mumbai Indians have already won six straight games.
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